Hospital carafe



P 0, 1969 w. 0. PHILLIPS 3,469,739

HOSPITAL CARAFE Filed Nov. 9, 1967 INU'IN' TOR Wwkav Q PHILL 1P5 Unite States Patent 3,469,739 HGSPITAL CARAFE Warren D. Phillips, 17944 Pond Road, Ashton, Md. 20702 Filed Nov. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 681,673 Int. Cl. A47f 1/08 U.S. Cl. 22196 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE This is an article of manufacture adapted primarily for hospital use, to be kept on a bedside table and used as a container for drinking water. It is provided with a supply of disposable drinking cups. The liquid contents are protected by a cap which is manually removable for refilling, and rotatable to an open, pouring or closed position. The disposable cups are nested in an integral compartment from which they can be withdrawn, one at a time.

The herein invention relates to hospital supplies and particularly to an improved container for drinking water that can be supplied to the patient as an individual item.

It is common practice in hospitals and elsewhere where there may be patients confined to bed for certain periods of time, to provide the patient with a convenient source of drinking water which can be reached without necessarily rising and walking for any distance. The patient is provided, for this purpose, with a tumbler or drinking cup and a pitcher or like container filled with water and usually ice. From time to time the items are replaced with a fresh cup and filled pitcher. These are thus kept within easy reach of the patient, usually on a bedside table or the like in order that the patient may himself have ready access to water for drinking purposes; or as an aid in the swallowing of medicines.

In actual practice this procedure involves some objectionable features. The ever-present possibility of infection is inherent in transfer of drinking vessels from patient to patient. Cleaning and sterilizing precautions are not always carried out most satisfactorily. Insuring thoroughness in handling and cleaning involves problems. The patient may contribute to less than normally expected carefulness. Spill-age may result from inept handling of pitcher and glass by handicapped or drowsy patients. Whereas the nurse is sometimes present to pour and hand a glass of water to the patient, frequently the patient will be on his own and make the worst of his efforts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an individual water service for the hospitalized patient that will not be subject to the aforesaid imperfections.

A further object of the invention concerns the provision of disposable items which will virtually eliminate or at least curtail an appreciable amount of time now spent in cleaning and replenishing the items in question.

In furtherance of these objects, it is a purpose herein to provide the necesasry items in a compact form requiring less space than those hitherto used.

And it is an object to provide a disposable liquid service set, which after its term of hospitalization can be thrown away or retained by the patient at his option.

And in addition, to provide an item, at low cost, and of attractive appearance, and special utility.

The present invention, accordingly, in its more specific aspects comprises a water carafe for use in a hospital to fulfill the need of the patient for drinking water. The item is designed to be issued to the patient when he reports to the hospital, to be reserved solely for his own use, and to be taken home at the end of his stay. With each carafe there is supplied a pack of nested drinking cups of throw-away type.

3,469,739 Patented Sept. 30, 1969 p TC The drawing shows a carafe havin an outer shape not unlike that of an Erlenmeyer flask, and a centrally disposed generally cylindrical bottom opening adapted to receive and retain a nested group of disposable cups. The neck part of the carafe is closable by means of a cap with a neck-fitting collar portion mounted in such a way as to rotate optionally to either an open or shut position. These positions are set by rotating the cap to bring the openings alternatively into registry with, or out of registry with, corresponding openings in the wall of the neck portion. Preferably more than one opening in the neck and in the cap respectively are provided in order that air may be admitted into the flask as the water is poured, the air entrance thus facilitating outflow of the liquid contents without interference with, or interruption of, the pouring operation by reverse inflow of air.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, when the carafe, in ordinary course of use, is lifted from the table, the nested series of cups drops to a lower position Where the cups encounter suitable projections from the wall of the cylindrical storage opening and are thereby suspended in such a position as to be dependent from the lips or rims of the cups. In this lower position the outer cup can be grasped and removed independently for filling from the carafe.

Whereas the carafe may be made of any of a number of suitable materials, for purposes of the invention, a plastic substance having adequate durability and a certain degree of elasticity is preferred. Examples of plastic materials that may be used include polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, and Styrofoam; examples of suitable metal materials are aluminum and stainless steel. Manifestly, the carafe walls should be relatively thin but of sufficient mechanical strength, the best selection being amenable to determination by those skilled in the art.

As will be understood, the material of which the cups are made is subject to a wide choice. It is found that paper or plastic cups of ordinary types, available on the market, are adaptable to purposes of the invention.

The rotation of the cap into alternate open and closed registering positions is aided by the provision of studs which engage detents in the specific disclosure and displaceably hold the neck and cap in certain predetermined position. The studs in the drawing are shown as being raised on the neck wall and as fitting into corresponding depressions or detents in the collar of the cap wall. The location of the studs and corresponding depressions on the other hand can be reversed in position, i.e., on the cap and neck walls respectively if desired.

The carafe preferably is provided with an outer insulating overlayer serving to aid in conserving the temperature of the contents. This insulating layer preferably is removable. In its illustrated exemplification the enclosing coat or envelope consists of two opposing portions embracing the outer walls of the flask and are alike except for the provision of the dovetailing locking tabs. Other locking means will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Whereas the carafe has so far been described as applicable to holding a supply of water, it will be understood that the use of same for other liquids is not excluded. The carafe of the present invention is adapted to hold various liquids which may be served at various temperatures. It is customary in hospitals to serve beverages such as fruit juices, milk or coffee, and it will prove in this capacity to have available on the patients table a supply of disposable cups, or even if desired, the liquid hot or cold drinks may be placed directly in the carafe.

In itself the provision of a container-type vessel with a rotary cap-type head is not new and such vessel is described in Patent No. 2,895,65 6. Plastic dispensing containers are disclosed in Patent No. 3,063,602. A dispensing container with a rotatable closure is shown in Patent No. 3,255,937. A cup dispenser in conjunction with a beverage reservoir is set forth in Patent No. 3,331,533. A pitcher equipped with a means for dispensing canned beverage concentrates is described in. Patent No. 3,333,738. None of these patents disclose or teach the present invention.

As distinguished from the prior art, and as pointing out precisely the novel features of the present invention, and for purposes of rendering the invention fully understandable, and amenable to practice by those skilled in the art, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described having reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical view in section of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal view in section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal view in section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

The wall 11 of the main body of the carafe of the present invention constitutes a generally frusto-conical shaped vessel adapted to be filled with drinking water 13, which may be cooled with ice 15. The top of the container flares outward somewhat toward the top and terminates in a neck portion 17 of shape and conformation adapted to receive a cap member 19.

The cap member 19 is provided with circumferentially located openings 21 adapted to register as shown in FIG. 5 with corresponding openings 23a and 23b in the wall of the neck (FIG. 5).

Rotation of cap and neck with respect to one another, will bring openings 21a and 21b, and openings 23a and 231'), out of register as may be seen by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In this event the liquid cannot flow from the carafe through said openings.

In effecting closure, studs 25a and 25b register and interlock with indents 27a and 27b in the neck portion 29 of cap 19, whereupon studs 33a and 3311 are out of register with indents 31a and 31b.

Comparing FIGS. 1 and 5 it will be seen that in effecting opening of the device, i.e., readying it for pouring, studs 33a and 33b are in registry with respective indents 31a and 3112. It will be readily apparent that a partial rotation of the cap 19 on the collar 17 will effect opening of the carafe and that an equal reverse direction rotation will close the carafe.

The body of the carafe as well as the closure cap 19 preferably consist of a fairly thin wall 11 of sheet plastic, having a certain amount of elasticity or give so proportioned as to insure that the described studs and indentations which are preferably more or less hemispherical on engagement, will snap into engagement. The fit between the cap collar part 29 and the neck 17 is such as to be snug but not so tight as to resist rotation or prevent removal for filling, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The upper portion of the neck 17 is substantially cylindrical whereas the lower part 35 will have a conical shape, i.e., will flare upward to some extent.

Beginning at approximately the line of maximum constriction 37 and enfolding the carafe therefrom. downwardly, the carafe is shown, FIG. 2, as being provided with an envelope of insulating material 39'. Such a coat or cover may well be constituted by a plastic layer incorporating a urethane resin, or any of the resins aforesaid. Other heat insulating resins may be used, and as known to the art, the thickness of the envelope may be selected so as to render the same easily mountable and unmountable at option. Means are provided for removably securing the envelope in place. In FIG. 2 two dovetailing fastening tabs are provided which may or may not be repeated on the opposite side of the carafe. No further description need be provided except to state that the base of the envelope, in contact with the table, may be provided with a suitable opening through which the cups may be delivered.

The lower portion of the carafe is provided with a cup dispensing means clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The cups, which for purpose of illustration may be assumed to be paper cups, but which may manifestly be formed of plastic or even metal or other material, drop when the carafe is picked up from table (not shown) from position shown in FIG. 2, to position of FIG. 3. In this lower position the cups are deterred from falling below the point illustrated in FIG. 3 by lodgement of the rims of cups against protuberances 45a, 45b, 45c and 45d. The number of protuberances shown in the drawing is four but any suitable number, either more or fewer, may be used. The cup retaining means may even extend as an unbroken inwardly extending rim of lip formation about the interior of the cup magazine 51.

It will of course be understood that whereas the cups will not drop through by gravity, the patient or any person using the carafe may easily remove the bottom cup from the nest 43 by simply grasping and withdrawing the bottommost cup from the remainder.

It will be understood that the foregoing illustrative example should not be construed as limiting, but that the scope of the invention is set forth as follows.

I claim:

1. A carafe, adapted for use in hospitals and the like, comprising (a) a liquid-holding compartment;

(b) a cup retaining compartment provided with means adapted to normally hold the cups therein in loose nested sequence and alternatively to release said cups therefrom one at a time;

(c) a closure means for said liquid-holding compartment comprising a cap provided with a substantially cylindrical collar portion;

((1) said liquid-holding compartment having a substantially cylindrical neck portion;

(e) said collar portion fitting snugly on said neck portion and being rotatable on said neck portion;

(f) a pouring opening in said collar portion;

(g) a corresponding opening in said neck portion;

(h) said openings being adapted to being rotated into registration position with each other, and alternately to being rotated out of registration, in open and closed position respectively;

(i) stud and detent means peripherally located on said neck and collar respectively, said neck and collar stud and detent means being mutually engageable and disengageable by relative rotation of said neck and collar portions;

(j) whereby said neck and collar portions may be optionally locked in open or closed position.

2. A carafe according to claim 1 wherein said compartments consitiuted are concentrically located with respect to one another.

. 3. A carafe according to claim 1 wherein said carafe including said neck portion is formed of a single piece of plastic material.

4. A carafe according to claim 3 wherein said plastic is a material selected from the class consisting of polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene and Styrofoam plastics.

5. A carafe according to claim 1 wherein said carafe is covered at least in part with an envelope of insulating material.

6. A carafe according to claim 1 wherein said neck portion and said collar portion are each provided with a plurality of interlocking stud and detent means.

7. A carafe according to claim 1 wherein said neck portion and said collar portion are each provided with a plurality of openings.

8. A carafe according to claim 7 wherein two of the openings in said neck portion and said collar portion respectively are located substantially diametrically opposite each other.

9. A carafe according to claim 1 wherein said carafe is formed substantially of metal.

10. A carafe according to claim 9 wherein said metal is selected from the class consisting of aluminum and stainless steel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Albion 222-553 Glaser 215--6 Phinney 215l3 X Huck 21513 Anderson 222480 Brim 2l513 Rooney 222-484 Krugger 22196 10 DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X,L. 

